Independent Education Consultant & World Languages Specialist

About this pro

I strive to guide my students through their challenges so that they can identify and practice strategies that will lead them to conquer the very difficulties that brought them to me and be successful lifelong learners. In short, I believe I am successful when my students no longer need my help (yes... This means I will be “out of a job” but I also believe that a student that achieves independence in his/her own learning is the BEST referral I could receive!).

To quote the comment one of my students made just last night “every unit we cover I have had a lightbulb moment that made all that we had discussed up to that moment made complete sense”... I thrive on seeing those lightbulbs go off in my students’ eyes, look back and see how much they have grown as learners and human beings. I became an educator because those are the “things” kindle my love for the work we do together.

Yes, I do this for a living but isn’t it fantastic to be able to love what we do?

To paraphrase the words I heard a long time ago, “work isn’t a burden if you love what you do”.

Credentials

Atlanta, GA 30339

Email verified

Phone verified

2 Reviews

5.0

5 star

70% Complete

62%

4 star

70% Complete

12%

3 star

70% Complete

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2 star

70% Complete

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1 star

70% Complete

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E. Lark

I LOVED how she was able to reiterate different methods of strategy to be certain that I understood what she was explaining to me. There was not anything that she could not solve or figure out. She’s a genius! I was extremely satisfied with her & her ability to be so well-rounded with the variety of subjects we were studying. I passed my Nursing Entrance Exam after tutoring with her for months & I would gladly recommend her & even tutor again with her in the future!

2019-04-25

Belinda Parks

Great experience, and very professional, responsive and very helpful, however I’ve decided I don’t want to learn via join.me. I’ll continue to look for opportunities near me for a one on one experience.

2019-03-20

Photos & Videos

FAQs

What is your typical process for working with a new student?

For all subjects I teach, before I even commit to the assignment, I always set up an initial meeting at NO CHARGE during which I take the time to discuss my prospective student needs and goals, break the ice, make sure we are comfortable working together but most importantly, that I AM indeed the best fit for them.

ALL WORLD LANGUAGES - During our initial meeting, discuss my approach to teaching my languages, share resources that compare ‘my approach’ to second language acquisition and the ‘traditional approach’, share samples completed by students I have taught/I am teaching (students’ identification witheld) to demonstrate how and why teaching languages is different from teaching math, science, or even English Language Arts.

I spend some time on the front end to do this because I want my students to ‘trust the process’ (aka trust themselves!): I want them to be confident that, akin to how we ALL learnt our first languages, our focus will be on understanding the new language first and production will start later (Teaching Communicative Language, Teaching with Comprehensible Input, Natural Approach to Language Acquisition) but

this doesn’t mean that they aren’t LEARNING anything... We would never dream of asking a toddler or even a preschooler to conjugate verbs, recite vocabulary lists, or give a presentation on a cultural tradition, why should we expect it when WE are learning a second one?!

I want ALL my students to realise that language acquisition is attainable, even those of you that always believed “they were not good at languages”!

When I used to be in the classroom, we had classroom rules: my most important one was “come to your lessons with an open mind and do your 50% (listen carefully)”. The next one would have been to “trust the process”: know that our ability to use our first language has prepared our brains to learn new ones and enabled us to do so in a fun and relaxed setting! So sit back, listen carefully, and ENJOY the journey!

SPANISH & ITALIAN -

I offer all my prospective students an initial (complimentary) language assessment and interests survey to ensure that, from our very first meeting, we can focus our work together on their needs and goals.

ESOL - I am provider with Oxford University Press and I utilise their testing platform to offer my prospective students an initial (complimentary) language assessment and ensure that, from our very first meeting, we can focus our work together on their needs and goals.

What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?

In addition to my science and math and my trilingual backgrounds, I studied neurobiology at university (Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy), I completed two comprehensive graduate programs: one on teaching sciences and one on second language acquisition, I am currently enrollled in a third one focussed on reading instruction and remediation for students with language based differences (LD/SLD), and I am trained on the Wilson Reading System and Learning without Tears (formerly Handwriting without Tears).

Last, I maintain GA teaching certification in the current fields:

-Biology

-Broad Field Sciences

-Mathematics

-Special Education General Curriculum

- Special Education Science & Math

- Spanish

- Italian

- ESOL Endorsement.

Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.

STARTING from the base rate posted for each specific subject, I price my instructional services based on whether we meet online or in person (my location or off site), frequency, & settings (private, semiprivate, small group) of our lessons and offer discounts for prepaid packages.

Please note that, each student’s final rate is only a reflection (may be higher OR lower) of the base rate posted as it is the result of the combination of any number of components listed above.

How did you get started teaching?

I started tutoring and teaching when I was at university (late 1990’!) and never stopped: I love sharing what I know and how to learn how to learn something we know knowing about that I have been returning to graduate school periodically to gain new skill sets that would enable me to meet the needs of my students.

What types of students have you worked with?

I have worked with students of all backgrounds (traditional, non-traditional, homeschool groups, individually homeschooled, hospital homebound support, and virtual/on line school support), levels (preschool to high school, college, adult learners, and busy professionals), and in a variety of settings (private, small group,

homeschooling groups, homeschooling coops, ad hoc math and science enrichment days/half-days) and even remote instruction when the logistics called for it.

What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?

My advice to anyone who is looking for a tutor for themselves or someone in their care is to ensure the professional they select doesn't just provide them with the content knowledge but is also able to communicate with them, understand their needs, and be responsive as they adapt their instruction to that knowledge.

I ask you that you take time to interview the professional you are considering, ask a lot of questions, make sure the two of you (or your student and the pro) "gel": look for empathy, love for learning, and enthusiasm!

Learning is a life long endeavour (even more so when the goal is language acquisition) and you want to make sure the time you spend on it the will lead to positive learning experiences that will nurture curiosity, interest, and feeling of accomplishment!

What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?

Q1: What is your role as a teacher/tutor?

My job is not to transfer information to my students but to help them understand how knowledge empowers them when they are willing to go for the ride of a life time to discover that critical thinking, problem solving, and resilience are more important than always being always correct or getting the correct answer at the first try.

Q2: What is your end goal as a teacher/tutor?

My goal is for my students to become independent and curious learners; in other words, for them to NO LONGER NEED MY HELP but feel that our time together was well spent and, because of this, I count on them to recommend me to their friends and families that may need help or want to learn a language!

Last, make me a proud teacher to whom they will send random texts/emails with pictures of them as they experience life milestones!